An Islamic State-backed rebel group killed at least 17 people, including breastfeeding mothers, in a brutal hospital attack in eastern Congo, authorities say.

The attack by the Allied Democratic Forces took place in the village of Byambwe, on Friday night, Colonel Alain Kiwewa, the local administrator, told The Associated Press.

"Women who were breastfeeding were brutally slaughtered and found with their throats slit in their hospital beds," Kiwewa said, adding that 11 women and six men were killed.

The rebels also attacked other villages, said Samuel Kakule Kagheni, a civil society leader in the Manzya area, which includes Byambwe, but could not confirm the number of casualties there.

Armed groups have carried out several deadly attacks in eastern Congo, including the ADF and Rwanda-b

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